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NC Council of Churches

Strength in Unity, Peace through Justice

About

The North Carolina Council of Churches was founded in 1935.  We are a statewide ecumenical organization promoting Christian unity and working towards a more just society. We are comprised of 26 distinct judicatories from 18 denominations. Across the state, our members have over 6,200 congregations with about 1.5 million congregants.

The Council enables denominations, congregations, and people of faith to impact our state on issues such as economic justice and development, human well-being, equality, compassion and peace, following the example and mission of Jesus Christ.

While the Council is itself overtly Christian, many of the committees and task groups are interfaith, including members from non-Christian faith communities. Several committees also include members of Christian denominations which are not part of the Council of Churches. Through this work, we live our motto: Strength in Unity, Peace through Justice.

Our members include 26 judicatories of 18 denominations and eight individual congregations. Across the state, our members have over 6,200 congregations with about 1.5 million congregants.

The North Carolina Council of Churches is not the local chapter of either the National or World Council of Churches. While we share the two goals of ecumenism and justice and our memberships are drawn from many of the same religious traditions, there are no structural connections between us. The North Carolina Council of Churches is actually thirteen years older than the World Council of Churches and fifteen years older than the National Council.

Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director
jennifer@ncchurches.org
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Jennifer is a native of South Carolina and an ordained minister in The United Methodist Church. She loves South Carolina, but has managed to spend all but ten years of her adult life in North Carolina. Those ten years were spent pastoring United Methodist churches across the Upstate. She attended Duke University several times and in the process earned a BA, double majoring in English and Religion, a Master of Divinity, a PhD in religion, and a Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies. Prior to coming to the Council, she spent 16 years as the United Methodist Chaplain at Duke University, where she also taught undergraduate and divinity school classes, served on committees and task forces, and attended lots of basketball games. Jennifer has two children, Nathan, a software developer who lives in Durham, and Hannah, a business operations coordinator who lives in Charlotte.

Susannah Tuttle, Director, NC Interfaith Power & Light
susannah@ncipl.org
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Susannah Tuttle joined the staff in August 2011. She received a Masters of Divinity degree from Starr King School for the Ministry at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. In 2004 Susannah was hired as UNC Chapel Hill’s first Sustainability Research Associate and went on to co-initiate Trace Collaborative, LLC a consulting firm specializing in the implementation of sustainability within the design and construction industry. Susannah currently serves on Interfaith Power & Light’s national Board of Directors, We Own It’s Board of Trustees, Duke Energy’s NC Eastern Advisory Council, and UNC School of Law’s Center for Climate, Energy, Environment, and Economics (CE3) Advisory Board.

Rachel Baker, Immigration Advocacy Program Coordinator & Communications Coordinator
rachel@ncchurches.org
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Rachel was born and raised in North Carolina and graduated from Appalachian State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and minor in General Business. She has been engaged in immigration advocacy through her immersion in a church plant started by her father and another pastor that was multicultural and bilingual. She was actively involved in the ministries of the congregation, a church that worked directly with first generation immigrant families as part of their focus and outreach. She is excited to be working for the Council and helping to build the NC Sanctuary Coalition. In her free time, Rachel loves all things outdoors, including hiking with her dogs, exploring new trails, and playing sports. She also enjoys playing her ukulele, cooking, and traveling.

Chris Pernell, Director, Partners in Health and Wholeness
christine@ncchurches.org
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Chris is a native Kentuckian and the daughter of missionary parents who served Eastern Kentucky for more than 40 years. She relocated to North Carolina in 1981 and has come to call NC home. Prior to coming to the Council, she spent several years in corporate America with The Diabetes Treatment Center and Honeywell International before joining a faith-based, nonprofit medical clinic serving the uninsured and under-served of Franklin County. Chris is excited to be a part of the Council's PHW program where she can utilize her background in health care and service. She and her husband, Joey, have two children, a cat, and a surprisingly friendly bearded dragon. In her free time, Chris enjoys reading, basketball, and traveling, especially to the mountains.

Sean Allen, Director of Finance and Administration
sean@ncchurches.org
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Sean was raised in Austin, Texas where he attended the University of Texas. After earning a BBA with an emphasis in Accounting and Master in Professional Accounting, he attended George W. Truett Theological Seminary where he met his wife, Jamie, and they both earned a Master of Divinity. Prior to coming to the Council, Sean spent twenty years in congregational ministry, most recently as Senior Pastor of a Baptist church in Raleigh, and two years in financial administration for a number of churches in the Triangle. When he is not cheering for his Texas Longhorns, Sean enjoys community theater, playing golf, watching sports, and spending time with his wife and their three children: Avery, Hannah, and Max.

Vanna Fox, Development Director
vanna@ncchurches.org
Vanna joins our team excited to use the varied skillset gained throughout her career. She has a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke, and an extensive development background, which includes Duke Children's Hospital, Interfaith Food Shuttle, and Wild Goose Festival. Her nonprofit work began in 1998, working with Capitol Broadcasting partners. This quickly became an important part of her duties while on the Morning Show on MIX 101.5/WRAL-FM, where she remained for 17 years.
Vanna is an ordained Baptist minister and has been on church staffs since her sophomore year at Western Carolina University, where she was studying music, majoring in Voice and Flute. She did postgraduate work in Music Theatre at Florida State University,  and Religious Studies at American Baptist Seminary of the West and Princeton Theological Seminary. She most recently served as Pastor for Children's Ministry and Creative Transformation at Saint Giles Presbyterian Church in Raleigh. Although she has traveled extensively, and lived in 5 other states on the East Coast, in her heart she's always been a hippie from Asheville with a passion for leaving her little corner of the world better than she found it.

Nicole Johnson, Regional Coordinator (Triangle, Triad, Metrolina Region), Partners in Health and Wholeness
nicole@ncchurches.org
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Nicole has had the wonderful opportunity of living in different countries, having been born in Belize City, and currently calling North Carolina home. She is deeply convicted in her belief that faithful congregations can meet the environmental, social and ethical challenges of the 21st century in practical and tangible ways. Her travels and beliefs have motivated her to seek ways of merging faith, health, sustainability, justice and ethics. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to be working with congregations and individuals in creating and supporting more healthy communities. Nicole is a graduate of Salem College and of the  dual degree MDiv/MA program in sustainability at Wake Forest University. Her favorite things to do include traveling, hiking, growing things, trying new recipes, and spending time with her husband and two boys.  Nicole began her time with PHW as an intern and has remained as a regional coordinator.

Jessica Stokes, Regional Coordinator (Eastern NC Region), Partners in Health and Wholeness
jessica@ncchurches.org
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Jessica Stokes is the PHW Regional Coordinator for Eastern North Carolina. She joins the Council with a deep love for North Carolina, returning home after directing an interfaith nonprofit in Washington State. Jessica has lived throughout NC, studying and working in Winston-Salem, Wilmington, and the Outer Banks. Jessica earned her Master of Divinity from Wake Forest University and BS in Clinical Psychology from Averett University. She is an ordained Baptist minister. Jessica’s background includes non-profit work, hospital chaplaincy, higher education, and the local church. Her convictions are rooted in experiences that range from ministry in Appalachia and a coastal psychiatric hospital to international travel. Jessica’s work for PHW will include a focus on mental health education and advocacy. Jessica is based in Wilmington and connects with congregations and partners in the Eastern part of the state.

Karen Richardson Dunn, Regional Coordinator (Western NC Region), Partners in Health and Wholeness
karen@ncchurches.org
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Karen Richardson Dunn is a native of North Carolina.  Although she currently resides in Asheville, she has also lived in New York City, Edisto Island and Charleston, SC, and Northumberland, England.  Karen received her MDiv from Wake Forest University School of Divinity in 2011 and was ordained in the United Church of Christ in 2013. She has served as a parish minister, hospice chaplain, and as the director of the Creation Justice Network of the UCC's Southern Conference.  She most recently has worked as the program coordinator for Wake Forest School of Divinity's Food, Health and Ecological Well-Being program.  Karen is also an editor and writer, and mom to two fine sons, Dylan and Roan.  They are members of First Congregational UCC in Asheville.

Elizabeth Brewington, Opioid Response Program Coordinator
elizabeth@ncchurches.org
Elizabeth is a native North Carolinian, who spent most of her life in Greensboro before deciding to explore the Midwest for college. She graduated from the College of Wooster in Ohio, where she received a dual Bachelor of Arts in sociology and religious studies. After college, she returned to North Carolina and did a year of service through the Episcopal Service Corps. During that time, she lived in intentional community, worked with Eastern Durham Children's Initiative, and took services on servant leadership. Elizabeth is excited to join the Council and be a part of the Partners in Health and Wholeness Program. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and meeting new people. Additionally, she loves watching TV with friends and family and constantly annoying them with her many references.

Michelle Peedin, Program Coordinator, Partners in Health and Wholeness
michelle@ncchurches.org
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Michelle was born and raised in North Carolina. She pursued her higher education at UNC Chapel Hill where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies, with a concentration in economics, trade, and development, and a minor in music. Identifying as first generation Peruvian-American, Michelle's area of study while at UNC was Latin America. She credits her time studying in Ireland and volunteering in Costa Rica for how she was shaped both personally and professionally during her undergraduate time. She continued her educational experience as a Fellow at Student Action with Farmworkers, a non-profit organization in Durham, NC. Since February of 2017, Michelle continues to spend her time at the Council  working with NC Interfaith Power & Light and with Partners in Health and Wholeness. She seeks to listen, learn from, and empower all communities of NC to pursue a just future for all beings on earth. In her downtime Michelle loves to travel and sing in a barbershop chorus.

Sarah Ogletree, Program Coordinator, NC Interfaith Power & Light
programs@ncipl.org
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Sarah recently earned her Master of Divinity, with a concentration in religious leadership and ecology, from Wake Forest University School of Divinity. She has worked at the intersection of faith and environment for the past six years, partnering with organizations like the Creation Care Alliance of Western North Carolina, United Methodist Women, Creation Justice Network (UCC Southern Conference), and Presbyterians for Earth Care. In her current role as North Carolina Interfaith Power & Light (NCIPL) Program Coordinator, Sarah is blessed with the opportunity to walk alongside faith communities and people of conscience as they consider the social, environmental, and climate impacts of their relationships to both energy and food. In addition to offering her services as a preacher, Sarah is available to faith communities as a sounding board for their ideas relating to sustainability in addition to giving presentations regarding the connection between climate change and faith. Sarah calls the southern Appalachian mountains home and resides in Happy Valley, North Carolina, with her husband, dog, and two cats.

Lindsay Barth, Event Coordinator & Partners in Health and Wholeness Communications Associate
lindsay@ncchurches.org
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Lindsay is a native of Western North Carolina. She continued her education at UNC Chapel Hill where she studied Communications and Hispanic Literature and Culture. While at UNC, Lindsay realized her passion for public health education through working with a student-led nonprofit called GlobeMed. She also had the opportunity to intern with Thermal Belt Outreach Ministry, a crisis management nonprofit in her hometown community. Lindsay is excited to begin working with the NC Council of Churches on its many programs and events. When she’s not at work, you can catch her playing the flute, reading, exploring new places, and watching UNC basketball.

Julie Melson, Office Coordinator & Database Manager
julie@ncchurches.org
Julie is a lifelong North Carolinian born and raised in Raleigh who enjoys calling the Triangle area home. She is a graduate of Wake Technical Community College with an Associates Degree in Computer Engineering Technology and a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology with a concentration in Information Systems Security from the University of Phoenix. Prior to joining the Council, Julie spent 17 years working in the Property & Casualty Insurance industry including 6 of those years in Information Technology developing software for insurance companies. Julie is very involved in her local church serving in various capacities including leading Sunday School, committee membership, and serving in a variety of worship assistance roles. During her spare time, Julie is a sports fan rooting for NC State, the Carolina Panthers, and the Carolina Hurricanes.

Steve Ford, Volunteer Program Associate
steve@ncchurches.org
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Steve Ford has lived in North Carolina since 1981, when he moved here to join The News & Observer of Raleigh. He retired in late 2012 as the paper’s editorial page editor. In that job, he supervised the opinion pages, wrote editorials and wrote a weekly column. Steve grew up in Northern Virginia. He graduated from Yale University and served in the U.S. Army as a photographer, including a year in Vietnam. He and his wife, Jeanne, who is an attorney, live in Cary and have three grown sons. He began volunteer work with the N.C. Council of Churches in the spring of 2013, helping to keep an eye on state government and writing about public policy issues. In his spare time, Steve enjoys outdoor activities, taking road trips (back roads, especially) and playing the piano. He and Jeanne are members of Christ the King Lutheran Church, Cary.

Sandy Irving, Volunteer Program Associate
sandy@ncchurches.org
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Sandy Irving has been involved with the Council’s work for many years. She currently serves as the Volunteer for Health Care, worker’s rights and other federal issues. Sandy is an activist grandmother of six, a Presbyterian, and a retired research associate from the Biostatistics Department of the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Public Health. She currently serves on the board of NC Peace Action.

David LaMotte, Consultant for Peace
david@ncchurches.org
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David LaMotte is a graduate of James Madison University, where he became passionate about mediation and alternative conflict resolution in the late eighties and the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, where he completed a master’s degree in International Relations, Peace and Conflict Resolution. David is a member of the Swannanoa Valley Friends Meeting, but also has one foot in the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Collins Kilburn, Executive Director Emeritus
Collins Kilburn served as Executive Director of the Council for 20 years prior to his retirement in 2000. He was named Executive Director Emeritus by the Council’s Executive Board in December, 2005. A native of Memphis, Collins graduated from Memphis State College and received his M.Div. from Duke.  He is an ordained United Church of Christ minister, a member of Community United Church of Christ in Raleigh, and a watch care member of Olin Binkley Memorial Baptist Church in Chapel Hill. Kilburn’s career with the Council spanned a total of 30 years, 10 of that as Director of Social Ministries, which included representing the Council on legislative issues.  He wrote and performed folk songs linked to social justice issues of the time, such as “Take It All Off,” aimed at the repeal of the food tax and “Do You Have Room for a Little Boom Boom?” related to the MX missile. Since retiring, he has found more time for tennis and for leading adult education programs focused on spiritual giants of our time.  He and his wife, Martha Hamilton, share four children and seven grandchildren.

The Council takes positions on issues through policy statements which inform, guide and frame our work. Policy statements are adopted by our governing body, often upon recommendation of one or more of the Council’s program committees which are made up of representatives of our member bodies.

Officers

President: The Rev. Mindy Douglas, Durham, NC (Presbytery of New Hope (PCUSA))
President-Elect: The Rev. Isaac Villegas, Durham, NC (Mennonite Church USA)
Church Women United Representative: Emily Sprague, Raleigh, NC (Church Women United)
Treasurer: The Rev. Claire Clyburn, Raleigh, NC (United Methodist Church - North Carolina Conference)
Immediate Past President: The Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman, Greensboro, NC (African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church - Piedmont Episcopal District)

At-Large Members

  • The Rev. Ernesto Barriguete, Greenville, NC (United Methodist Church - North Carolina Conference)
  • The Rev. Joseph C. Brown, Sr., Fayetteville, NC (African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church - Eastern North Carolina Episcopal District)
  • The Rev. Patrick Campbell, Morganton, NC (United Church of Christ - Southern Conference)
  • Maryann Crea, Durham, NC (Unaffiliated)
  • The Rev. Nicole Dozier, Raleigh, NC (Unaffiliated)
  • Matt Floding, Durham, NC (Reformed Church in America - Regional Synod of New York)
  • The Rev. Erika Funk, Charlotte, NC (Presbytery of Charlotte (PCUSA))
  • The Rev. David Guthrie, Winston-Salem, NC (Moravian Church in America - Southern Province)
  • Renee Hayes, Trinity, NC (United Methodist Church - Western North Carolina Conference)
  • The Rev. Bob Hudak, Greenville, NC (Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina)
  • Mr. Stan Kimer, Raleigh, NC (Metropolitan Community Churches - North and South Carolina Network)
  • Pastor Sonja Lee, Charlotte, NC (Unity Fellowship Church Movement)
  • Mary Ann Lochner, Sylva, NC
  • Allison Mahaley, Hillsborough, NC (Unaffiliated)
  • Erin Maxfield-Steele, (Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina)
  • The Rev. Dr. Paul McAllister, Charlotte, NC
  • The Rev. Valerie Melvin, Wilson, NC (Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in North Carolina)
  • The Rev. Marcia Mount Shoop, Asheville, NC (Presbytery of Western North Carolina (PCUSA))
  • The Rev. Otis Robinson, Winston-Salem, NC (Reformed Churches of God in Christ International)
  • The Rev. Dr. Christy Lohr Sapp, (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America - North Carolina Synod)
  • The Rev. Lia Scholl, Winston-Salem, NC (Wake Forest Baptist)
  • Mrs. MaryJane Selgrade, Raleigh, NC (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America - North Carolina Synod)
  • Deborah Suess, Greensboro, NC (Religious Society of Friends - North Carolina Yearly Meeting)
  • The Rev. John Taylor, Sanford, NC (Presbytery of Coastal Carolina (PCUSA))
  • The Rev. Robb Webb, Charlotte, NC (United Methodist Church - Western North Carolina Conference)

General Committee Chairs

Business & Finance Committee: Ms. Brooks Wicker, Raleigh, NC (North Carolina Alliance of Baptists)
Personnel: The Rev. Conrad Pridgen, Whittsett, NC (African Methodist Episcopal Church - Second Episcopal District)